Karachi Cowboys

Brand Refresh: Exterior Wayfinding System, Illustrated Assets Package & Printed Materials

Chef Nasir Zubair creatively blends his roots at Seattle staple restaurant, Karachi Cowboys. His spin of Pacific Northwest freshness, Indian/Pakistani soul food and Texas barbecue brings something new and bright to the Seattle food scene.

I was brought on to update the brand identity, design and implement a new exterior restaurant facade and provide direction for growth touchpoints. The primary challenge was extending the harmony of cultures present in Karachi's dishes into every visual brand experience.

Karachi’s brand aesthetic uses a mixture of color and icon repetition to establish a bright, bold personality that holds firm to its blended roots. Brand colors reference India and Pakistan’s national flags, the angular, bold and heavy-set nature of the wordmark reference classic Texas barbecue while the repeated stylized marigolds reference the tradition of India’s painted rickshaws.

I installed all external design elements traditionally, using oil-based enamel paint. Pinstriping and hand-painted sign work are a respected tradition in India and Pakistani street culture. It was important that Karachi Cowboys was not only designed with cultural iconography in mind, but that the storefront itself mirrored those traditional practices.

Karachi’s illustration suite, peppered throughout the exterior wayfinding system and printed assets, not only cement the brand’s playful personality but offer a route for merchandising growth to come.

Photography: Kyle Johnson